Lander Recalled….Finally His Time?

On Tuesday night in Minnesota, Matt Cooke celebrated his 1000th NHL game the only way he knew how, by throwing a questionable hit on another team’s skilled player. The victim in game 1000 was Oilers center Sam Gagner, who looked like he suffered a significant injury on the play. Gagner returned to the game and played OT, in fact he even shot in the shootout.

That said, Gagner missed practice on Wednesday in St. Louis and has seen his status for the game Thursday against the Blues put in question, and as a result, the team has used an emergency recall on center Anton Lander for the second time in less than a week.

Lander is a RFA this summer, and the Oilers will need to make a decision on their AHL captain. Lander has very good defensive abilities, and has actually had a break through offensive season in Oklahoma City, where he has emerged as a point-per-game player and big time leader. Lander could very well be a good option for the team’s bottom six next year, which will need value deals.

Lander has proven everything he can at the AHL level. He’s become a very good defensive center, and his offensive game has likely hit the top of it’s potential. He was never supposed to be a top notch point producer at the NHL level, and PPG at the AHL level is probably tops for him.

Lander has the look of a solid third-line center down the road, and I’ve always been a fan of his. He needs to now show that at the NHL level, but Edmonton needs to give him the chance. Plugging him with Luke Gazdic and Ryan Jones and expecting points is simply unrealistic.

Best thing for Anton is to slide in on line two tomorrow night for Gagner, and play with some actual skilled players. I think Oilers fans will be pleasantly surprised with the results. He’s a good young player, and has the ability to be a good NHL player down the road. Edmonton needs to set him up in a position to succeed, and they have a great chance to do that in St. Louis.

The Oilers invested a second round draft choice in Anton Lander. To this point, he has not paid dividends at the NHL level, but the Oilers have terribly miss-developed him. He might be arriving late, but Anton Lander seems ready to play at the NHL level. The Oilers could use a player like him at the NHL level next season, and this is a perfect chance for him to prove just that.

Is this finally the time for Anton Lander in Edmonton? Hopefully we are about to find out.